Vice Presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday got a taste of the “Solid North” welcome in Mindoro Occidental, which is considered a bailiwick of the ruling Liberal Party.

This developed after a huge crowd welcomed the “Unity Caravan” of Marcos in the twin rallies he held separately in the municipalities of Sablayan and San Jose City, where a large segment of the population are descendants of migrant Ilocanos.

In Sablayan, Marcos received the endorsement of key political figures, including A TEACHER (Advocacy for Teacher Empowerment Through Action, Cooperation and Harmony Towards Educational Reforms, Inc,) party list Rep. Juliet Cortuna and Sablayan Mayor Eduardo Gadiano.

“When I arrived here, I thought we landed mistakenly in Ilocos Norte because many of those who welcomed me are Ilocanos,” Marcos enthused to the cheering crowd of around 6,000 in the Sablayan Astrodome, as he also thanked them for their warm welcome.

In the rally held at the San Jose City Plaza, thousands of city residents and from other municipalities of the province such as Rizal, Magsaysay and Calintaan also gave Marcos a thunderous welcome.

Marcos was likewise endorsed by leaders of the business sector, led by the President of the Pag-asa Grains Center Incorporated Cresencio Tiu and other political leaders such as Calintaan Mayor Renato Paulino.

Both Tiu and Paulino cited the platform of Marcos on agriculture and basic infrastructures, which they said are essential to spur further development not only in Occidental Mindoro but the entire country as well.

In response, Marcos vowed to press for pro-agriculture policies such as the scrapping of irrigation fees, expansion of irrigation systems, cheaper credit facilities, better quality of seeds and furthering the construction of farm-to-market roads in strategic places.

With 27 years of public service under his belt, Marcos told Mindoro Occidental residents that he has enough experience and knowledge to prepare him for the responsibilities of a Vice President.

Likewise, Marcos also echoed in Occidental Mindoro his call for national unity, saying only through a united and collective efforts can the country be able to surmount the multitude of problems it is facing and march towards a better and more progressive future for all Filipinos.